Iron and Ink
by Missus Carlikins
Summary: A collection of GaLe ficlets/drabbles. Story 8 - "Oh." It was quiet, but in the library even the quietest of whispers could be shouts.
1. Scars

**A/N: **So apparently there was a Gajeel/Levy week on tumblr and I didn't even know about it, but I've discovered they're doing another one right now, like it just started today. And so I'm going to try to write a ficlet for every day because I love this ship a lot but I never do anything for it.

I literally wrote this little thing in like 30 minutes so it's short and sweet and not very shippy, but whatever.

* * *

Gajeel was covered from head to foot in scars, some old and some new. Over the months they'd been together Levy had learned the placement of every scar, and the story behind them. She'd learned that he got the scar on his shoulder from an angry wild cat he'd subdued, and he got the scar on his thigh from the sword of a knight.

Levy had her own scars, although none of the stories were as outrageous as his. She had a scar on her hand that she got when she was young from her uncle's dog, and a scar on her back from a toppled bookshelf.

When Levy first showed him her scars, he traced them with calloused and rough fingers that felt softer than silk when they brushed her skin, and he pressed his lips against them in feather light kisses. He drew her between his legs and kissed his way to her mouth. He devoured her insecurities with his lips and smoothed her scars with his hands. He promised that she would never get another scar again as long as he was with her.

Although he ended up breaking the promise four months later when Levy got a scar on her wrist trying to protect him, she didn't mind though.

It was a scar she could be proud of.


	2. Loss

**A/N:** I wrote this at like 1 in the morning and I tried to edit to make it better, but it's a lost cause. The theme today was Loss and I almost ended up just tossing it and doing my own theme because oh my god I couldn't write anything. I tried sad, I tried sad three different times and each time it was awful. So I decided to go with loss of control... sort of. (Didn't want things to get explicit).

It's pretty OOC to me, but then again I always see flaws in my own work so maybe it's not that bad. Gajeel is hard for me to get, I don't know why. Maybe because I've only written like two fics with him in it...

I hope you enjoy this installment.

* * *

Levy was starting to get annoyed. Whenever she tried to talk to Gajeel, whenever she got within five feet of him, he suddenly had something else to do.

She was being avoided and she didn't like it.

She tried to not dwell on it, it wasn't like they were even really friends. Sure she'd hoped that maybe something was happening between them, something that might make them _more_ than friends, but maybe she'd read the situation wrong. Maybe Gajeel didn't want to be even friends.

She sighed and glanced up from the book she wasn't reading to stare at her friend. Lucy was experienced, maybe she'd know what to do.

"Lucy, has Natsu been acting weird lately?" Lucy had her head buried in a book and she didn't even look up at Levy's question.

"You'll have to be more specific, this is Natsu we're talking about after all."

Levy tugged at her hair and fiddled with the book in her hand. "Has he been... avoiding you?"

Lucy didn't speak for a moment, looking up from her book to stare at Levy who was suddenly very interested in her own book.

"Something tells me this isn't about Natsu," Lucy said. There was a quiet snap as she shut her book and then she was next to Levy. "Gajeel's been avoiding you?"

She nodded and Lucy sighed, taking the book out of her lap. "We're not even really friends, I mean I was _hoping_ that maybe he considered me one, but maybe he doesn't. Maybe that's why he's avoiding me. He doesn't want to be my friend but he doesn't know how to let me down gently."

"Gentle isn't in his vocabulary," Lucy snorted and Levy's head snapped up with a glare.

"Gajeel isn't a bad person. Yes he's done bad things, but everyone makes mistakes."

"I didn't say he was. I just meant that Gajeel doesn't really consider people's feelings all that much, well most people."

"You're implying something."

"You're right. I am." Lucy grinned and bumped her shoulder. "He treats you different. Gentle isn't in his vocabulary unless he's with you. You bring out a softer side of him. He cares about you."

Levy's lips turned down in a small frown. "Then why is he avoiding me?"

Lucy laughed and threw her arms around Levy's shoulders, squeezing her. "That's why he's avoiding you. Gajeel doesn't know how to treat someone with kindness." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think that he's afraid of hurting you."

Levy gnawed on her bottom lip as she thought. She wasn't sure if Gajeel really cared for her, he treated her the same as everyone else as far as she could tell, but maybe he did. Maybe Lucy was right and he just didn't know what to do.

"Thanks Luce," she said, standing suddenly. "I've got to go take care of something."

"Go get him girl!" Lucy called after her.

x

Levy had to search the entire guild, but she finally found him in the training rooms with Lily.

"Gajeel!" she called, stomping across the matts. Gajeel just barely blocked the strike from Lily and he whirled with a snarl, but when his eyes landed on Levy all the fight drained out of him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to find _you_," she said, pausing in front of him. Lily glanced between them and cleared his throat.

"I'll just be taking my leave then," he said, transforming into his smaller form and flying from the room.

"What do you need?" Gajeel asked. His eyes darted through the room, before pausing to stare at something above her head and she huffed.

"I need you to look at me."

"I _am _looking at ya," he growled, making her snort.

"No. You're looking above me. Look _at_ me." Suddenly she stepped closer and grabbed him by the back of his neck, yanking his head down until they were eye level and he had no choice but to stare into her eyes. She'd never been this close to him before and she found it hard to focus on anything but his crimson eyes.

"You're avoiding me," she stated, yanking herself out of whatever trance his eyes put her in. She released his neck but didn't move away. "Why?"

"Am I?" She gazed at him and didn't speak, just waited for him to break. She thought it would be harder than it was, it only took a minute before he was sighing and lowering his eyes. "Maybe I am."

"Why?" she repeated.

"Why?" His eyes snapped back to hers and she saw fire flickering where it wasn't before. "Because your scent drives me crazy. Because if I see you with those idiots again I'm not sure I'll be able to keep myself from killing. Because if I get close to you then I'll corrupt you. Because you make me lose control." He snapped his mouth shut and glared, but she was too busy thinking to notice.

"Lucy was right," she murmured, her lips twitching in a smile.

"What?"

"You like me."

His eyes widened and his scowl faltered. "What?"

She smiled and stepped impossibly closer to him, finding a confidence she didn't know she had. "You don't have to be afraid." She smiled when he scoffed and rested her hands on his shoulders. "I'm not as fragile as I look."

He seemed to struggle with something before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up so to their mouths were breaths apart.

"You're not afraid I might lose control?" he breathed, eyes boring into her.

She could see the worry now, the concern. He didn't want to hurt her, didn't want to scare her away. With a smile she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't worry. I can handle it."


	3. Trapped

**A/N: **This is Sunday's prompt and since I haven't slept yet it's still Sunday, but unfortunately this one is really not that great... I wanted to write a scene where Levy freaks out and Gajeel comforts her but I'm just tired and drained and I ended up having to force it out and so I'm sorry. I hope you can still find some enjoyment in it and there are probably mistakes since it's 2 in the morning and I didn't edit. Sorry. So sorry.

Also thanks so much for the follows and favorites. I didn't really expect any one to pay attention to these little ficlets and it makes me happy. Plus all the reviews I've gotten have filled me with so much joy. So thank from the bottom of my heart. I hope I don't disappoint you.

* * *

"Are we really treasure hunting?" Levy asked, carefully picking her way through the underbrush.

"You didn't hafta come," Gajeel growled from a few feet ahead.

"Well I need the money too, besides Lily stayed in the guild so you needed a partner." He made a sound that was almost a snort and she frowned. It might not be the best reason, but she figured it was better than admitting that she just wanted to spend time with him, and this job wasn't as dangerous as the ones he normally chose.

She was actually a bit surprised he even let her tag along. She'd been sure he would scoff at her and tell her she was too weak to work with him. She hadn't expected him to accept, and now here they were trekking through a dense forest following a treasure map. Gajeel had kept the pace slow enough that she could keep up and she was grateful. If he had been alone he probably would've already found the treasure and returned it to the client. She was just slowing him down.

Lost in her thoughts as she was she didn't notice when her foot caught on a root. She yelped in surprise and threw her arms out to catch herself, but she apparently didn't need to worry. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her from crashing to the ground. She gasped as warmth gathered in her belly and ducked her head, hoping to hide her red cheeks.

"Th-thank you," she murmured. She straightened, gripping his arm to steady herself. The minute she was back on her feet he released her and she tried not to frown at the loss of heat.

Her lips twitch in a small smile and she thought she saw a flicker of one on his face before he turned away. "It's hard keeping track of someone so small, so don't fall behind."

She pressed her lips together as her smile grew and hopped forward a step, following just behind him. Her eyes strayed to his hand swaying at his side and she clenched her own hand against her chest. Gajeel might help her when she falls, but that didn't mean anything special.

She sighed and kicked at some dead leaves.

She had to get stronger, to prove herself to him.

Then maybe he'd actually look at her.

x

They walked for what must have been hours; the sky through the canopy slowly darkening as night fell. Levy moved closer to Gajeel when it got harder to see, not wanting to lose her guide. Without him she'd be easy prey for any predators lurking in the shadows.

"Not much further," Gajeel said, breaking the silence of the forest.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Levy asked.

"Of course I do." He waved a piece of paper in the air. "They gave me a map."

Levy had looked at the map when the client had handed it over and it wasn't much more than a big, red X on a circle, but she had to trust Gajeel.

Although forty minutes later she was regretting that decision. The sun had vanished from the sky completely and she was struggling to keep up with Gajeel in the near darkness.

"How mu-whoa!" she yelped, falling forward as her foot caught on a rock. Had she not been following so closely she probably would've ended up face-planting, but instead she just fell against Gajeel's back. Her cheeks flamed and she quickly righted herself. "Sorry."

He reached behind and grabbed her hand. She bit back a surprise gasp and glanced up at his face, but it was too dark to read his expression.

"Stay close," he growled. Levy stared up at his face for a moment longer before dropping her head in a nod.

"Mm."

She tried not to focus too much on the warmth of his hand enveloping hers as they continued walking, but it was hard. She'd wanted to do this with him for months already, although in her imagination they were always walking down one of Magnolia's main streets on their way to dinner and not trekking through a forest in search of treasure.

As they walked she started to notice the thinning of the trees around them until suddenly they just cut off. Gajeel stopped at the edge and she paused beside him. Without the trees in the way the moon could shine freely and it illuminated the path in front of them, of course that just made the inky darkness of the cave seem all the worse.

"We-we have to go in there?" Levy stuttered, her hand tightening around Gajeel's by its own volition. She saw him glance down at her out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn't look away from the cave. Ever since she was a kid and accidentally got locked in the supply closet overnight she'd been bad with small spaces, and it was even worse when they were dark.

"That's where the treasure is."

She took a deep steadying breath, drawing strength from the warmth around her hand. She wasn't alone. She had Gajeel. It was just a cave. She wasn't going to be locked in.

When she opened her eyes her gaze was unwavering.

"Let's complete this job," she said, grinning up at Gajeel. He stared at her and his lips curled up in a smile of his own.

x

The cave was even darker than the forest had been and Levy was grateful for Gajeel leading the way. His hand around hers was the only thing keeping her from running from the place. She knew Gajeel didn't need her for this part, didn't need her for the job at all, but she wanted to be of some help.

There was a grunt from ahead and a muttered curse from Gajeel.

"It's damn hard to see in here," he growled.

"Oh! I can do something about that."

"Eh?'

Levy pulled her hand from Gajeel's, frowning slightly at the loss of heat, and worked her magic. In moments the cave exploded as light filled every crevice. Gajeel winced and threw his arm up and Levy flinched.

"Sorry! Didn't mean for it to be so bright." After a bit of tweaking she managed to dim it to a small ball of light that illuminated the area around them. "Better?"

Gajeel smiled down at her and she was surprised by the warmth she saw in his eyes. "Thanks."

She shrugged and tried to keep the grin from splitting across her face. "It's what I'm here for."

They continued deeper into the cave and Levy tried not to be too disappointed at the loss of hand holding, but there was no reason to continue now that they could see. Although without Gajeel's warmth she found it harder to fight the panic building in her chest, but she swallowed it down.

At least until the rumbling started. Without warning the entire cave began to shake and as her fear rose her magic wavered, making the light flicker. She pressed herself against Gajeel's side, her eyes widening.

"What's happening?"

Gajeel didn't say anything, just wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close as the rocks began to fall. Levy squeezed her eyes shut and found comfort in the feel of Gajeel's hard body pressed against hers, and for a moment everything was fine. It only lasted a few minutes but it felt like the whole world was crumbling around them.

The shaking subsided and the cave fell silent. She knew that Gajeel could probably feel her trembling as the fear crept up her throat, but she couldn't stop.

"Th-the treasure. W-we have to f-find it."

She pushed herself away from his chest, or at least tried to, but his arms were like iron bars locking her in place.

"Ga-Gajeel."

"You're afraid." His voice was a low rumble in her ears. It soothed away some of the fear, but not enough.

"N-no." She snapped her mouth shut and willed her voice to stop shaking. "I'm fine. We have to complete the job."

Gajeel was quiet above her, his arms tightening around her small body. "We're not going anywhere."

It was barely more than a whisper and dread shot through her body. She tore herself away from him and looked around them, her light had gone out so she quickly wrote a new one, but what she saw had it flickering out in seconds.

The shaking had caused a cave in, the way they had entered was completely blocked by rocks, and further down she could see another wall of rocks.

Her legs crumpled under her and she fell to her knees, bracing her hands on the ground. She couldn't breathe. Something was suffocating her, crawling up her throat and squeezing tighter and tighter. She gasped for air and clawed at the ground as the tears began to fall. She had to get out.

"Out," she croaked, her voice hoarse. "Get me out._ Get me out_!"

She was screaming. Screaming and clawing at the door. Why can't anyone hear her? Where are they? Why did they leave her alone?

"You're not alone."

Arms wrapped around her and she found herself pulled against a hard chest.

"You're not alone," he repeated, face buried in her hair. "You'll never be alone as long as you've got me."

She gave a surprised hiccup and pressed her face against his chest, staining his vest with tears. "G-Gajeel," she sobbed.

"Shh," he murmured. "I've got you."

After a while her tears dried and she just held him close to her, finding comfort in his warmth. They didn't speak and he didn't rush her, just let her collect herself.

"Sorry," she said. "I-I wanted to prove to you that I was strong, but I'm not."

"If ya weren't strong then I wouldn't have agreed to let you come along."

Levy sniffled and leaned back to stare up at Gajeel, although she couldn't actually see his face in the darkness. "You're too nice."

He snorted and placed her off to the side, rising to his feet. "You're the only person who thinks that."

"Gajeel! Where are you going?" A hint of panic flickered in her voice and she reached out blindly. A hand covered hers and something that felt like lips brushed over her forehead.

"I'll be right back," he breathed, and then he was gone and she really was alone.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and drew them to her chest, taking deep breaths. She could still hear him moving around the cave, but the sounds of his footsteps were getting quieter and quieter.

He probably wasn't gone for more than a few seconds, but it felt like hours. She let out a relieved sigh when she heard the sound of his returning footsteps and scrambled to her feet. An arm pushed her back and she only had a moment to brace herself before he was punching through the rocks with his iron fists.

She added her own little bits of magic, but she still felt shaken so she couldn't do any real destruction. Still they managed to break through in record time and soon they were exiting the cave and were back in the open. She breathed a sigh of relief and stared up at the stars twinkling in the sky.

"Did you get the treasure?" she asked, lowering her gaze to Gajeel. He nodded and she smiled, slipping her hand through his. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Thank you."

"You were crying," he muttered, and she smiled up at him, noticing the red tint to his cheeks. With a small jump she pulled his head down so she could press a kiss to his cheek.

"Still... thank you."

He stared at her and she grinned, yanking his hand as she started walking. "C'mon, we've got a reward to collect."

He grumbled something, but followed behind obediently and she smiled to herself. She felt like maybe their relationship had started changing and maybe next time she'd find the strength to take an even bigger step, but for now she'd be happy with just holding his hand.


	4. First

**A/N:** The prompt for today was First and I just had no inspiration... but I attempted something. Another short drabble of sorts. Tomorrow's might be a bit lengthy... I suppose we'll see.

I feel like I can't get these characters right and it's really frustrating me because I don't think I've ever shipped anything as hard as this, but I won't give up. They're just too wonderful for me to not write about.

* * *

Their first kiss wasn't magical or romantic.

There wasn't some big fancy meal leading up to a starlight walk through the park. There was no serenading or nervous flirting. The setting wasn't her doorstep or on a bridge under the moon. No special moment led up to it.

It just sort of happened.

Although if you were to ask anyone they would say it was a long time coming. There were few in the guild who didn't know of Levy's feelings for Gajeel and vice versa. Everyone had expected it to be Gajeel who finally made the move, not little Levy.

No one had really noticed the solid script mage as she strode to where Gajeel was seated with determination in her gaze and purpose in her step. No one paid any attention to the pair until Levy grabbed Gajeel by his collar and pulled him close. No one dared breathe as they watched and waited to see what would happen.

Then Levy kissed him and the room erupted in noise once again as guildmates cheered for their friends (and others cried over the loss). It wasn't much of a kiss, barely more than a brush of lips, but it was enough.

It was her declaration.

And later when Gajeel pulled her out of the crowd and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that left her seeing stars. She knew it was his response.


	5. AU

**A/N:** So the prompt for today is AU and originally I was going to do a zombie AU, but that got out of hand and now I'm writing it as a long one-shot/multi-chapter fic (haven't decided which yet).

Mermaids and dragons. That's all I have to say about this. Also this was sorta another last minute thing so very little editing has been done...

Oh my god. I started this one because I was at 2,000 words on the other one and Gajeel hadn't even appeared yet, and then this one got out of hand and I feel like the characters are still a bit off and it's worse now that it's an AU and I'm sorry. It ended up really rushed at the end because that's what happens when things get out of hand. I'M GONNA CRY! This was just supposed to be a short ficlet!

* * *

"Do you ever wonder what it's like to walk on land?" Levy asked, staring at the beach dreamily. There were humans scattered across it, some just lying in the sand, others running and splashing through the waves. Levy was envious of them.

"Not really," Lucy said, glancing at the humans. "I've seen those legs up close and personal and they get _hairy_."

Levy turned her attention to her friend, one of her brows raising. "When were you up close and personal with a human and why haven't you told me about this yet?"

Lucy flushed, her golden tail flicking against the surface of the water. "It was nothing. Just an idiot who happened to be drowning as I swam past."

"So you ogled him as you saved him?"

"No!" Lucy covered her face with her hands and Levy laughed. "I mean it's hard to not notice those legs when they're flailing about in the water. He almost kicked me in the face."

"Y'know according to the legends mermaids are supposed to drown their victims, not save them," Levy pointed out and Lucy snorted, lowering her hands.

"Says the girl who saves every sea creature in need of help."

Levy smiled and leaned back against the rock, letting her blue hair float on the water below. "You going to see him again?"

"We didn't exactly make any plans. He was unconscious for most of our meeting and the minute he came to I was back in the water."

"Why?"

"Why would I see him again?"

Levy pushed herself up, her eyes shining. "It could be like a fairy tale. The human in love with the mermaid. Maybe you could ask Aquarius to give you some legs and you could go on a _date_."

Lucy snorted. "Aquarius hates me."

"So? She's always talking about how you don't have a boyfriend. I bet she'd support you getting one."

"I doubt it. If she did then she wouldn't be able to bug me about not having one."

Levy sighed and stared up at the sky. "I think it'd be romantic."

"You read too many fairy tales."

"Maybe..."

Levy fell silent as she watched a bird soar through the air. She wondered if there was a prince waiting to rescue her.

Suddenly she was rolling off the rock and she yelped as the water enveloped her. Her head popped above the surface and she glared at Lucy who was laughing on the rock.

"C'mon," Lucy said, diving into the water herself. "Let's get home."

Levy lingered for a moment, watching as a child ran across the sand and dove into the water. With a small smile she slipped back under the water, her blue tail slapping against the surface once before disappearing from sight.

x

The underwater city of Atlantis, home to thousands of merfolk and the location of the Sea King's palace. Levy shared an apartment with Lucy on the edge of the city. Levy liked the location. They didn't have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the inner city, but they were close enough that they could visit whenever they wanted. It was nice having the ocean right outside their window.

Lucy had gone into town with Cana for a night of drinking and partying. They waved as they headed into the city and Levy waved back at the door, waiting until they were out of sight before returning inside. She curled up in her favorite armchair and opened the book she was rereading. It was a tale of romance and adventure. The prince rescuing the princess from the dragon's nest. She smiled and flicked to the next page. Lucy was probably right about her reading too many fairy tales, but they were just so cute.

She sighed when the prince appeared with his shining sword. The dragon didn't stand a chance, and sure enough a few pages later it was falling at the hands of the prince.

Levy smiled when she shut the book and sat back in her chair. She couldn't wait for her own happily ever after, although she had a feeling it was quite a ways away.

She swam to the bookshelf to return the book to its home and paused at the window. It was her favorite time of day, when the sun dipped just below the horizon and the water turned to flames. The city didn't get much sunlight being at the bottom of the ocean, but she could still see it flickering miles ahead on the surface. A few fish swam past and she waved at them.

As much as she wanted to walk on land, she had to admit that the sea was a beautiful place to live.

And then a bleeding fish swam past, clearly panicked and she was out the door and following it faster than she could blink. The fish didn't make it very far before it fell to the ground, not moving anymore.

"It'll be alright," she murmured, cupping the fish in her hands. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, borrowing power from the ocean. Her hands warmed and began to glow with a pale blue light and soon the fish was wiggling out of her hands and swimming away. She smiled and turned to return to her room, but froze at the sight that awaited her.

The shark looked to be almost 10 feet in length and its black eyes were focused on her. She swallowed thickly, feeling fear settle in her stomach and crawl up her throat tasting like acid. Her eyes flickered to the city, alight with noise and life. She'd swam further than she'd thought and there was no way she could get back, not with the shark blocking her way.

Which meant she only had one choice.

She turned and swam as fast as she could towards the shore.

x

Mermaids were fast, one of the fastest creatures in the sea, but not fast enough apparently. Levy was able to keep some distance between her and the shark, but her stamina was wearing out and the shark was gaining on her. She could see the gentle slope of the shore and she willed her tail to go faster-

A scream tore past her lips as the jaws clamped down on her side. She didn't know when the shark had changed directions, but it was too late. The sharp teeth easily tore through flesh.

Her vision started to swim and she took a deep breath, pressing her hands against the shark's nose. She'd never tried to use her magic as a weapon before, but she didn't have a choice.

She forced what strength she had left into her magic and pushed with all her might. There was a moment of resistance, but then the shark loosened its grip and she was thrust away from it faster than she thought possible. Her back hit a rock and pain shot through her body as blackness swept over her.

x

Death was too dark for Levy's liking, too bleak. She wondered who would break the news to Lucy. Maybe they'd laugh at her stupidity. A mermaid taken out by a fish.

"D'you think she's alive?"

She looked around in confusion when she heard the voice. It was deep and gravely and Levy wondered if maybe the shark was talking. A shark would probably have a voice like that.

"Clearly," another voice said. This one was softer. Maybe the shark had a friend. "She's breathing."

"Maybe she's in a coma."

"Well _maybe_ instead of standing here discussing it we should get her to a hospital."

Levy groaned, and slowly blinked her eyes open. Her entire body ached and she felt like her head was about to fall off.

"She's awake!"

Suddenly the sun was blotted out by two faces staring down at her. One belonging to a... cat? She blinked a couple of times and sure enough that was a cat standing over her, and next to him stood a...

"Human!" she yelped, scrambling back only to wince as pain shot through her. Then she realized there was something wrong with her tail, it wasn't working like it was supposed to. What if she'd wounded it beyond repair? She glanced down and... "I have legs!"

The human glanced at the cat, raising one of his studded eyebrows. "Did ya hit your head?"

"Well yes," Levy said, momentarily forgetting the pain at the realization of her legs. She pushed herself to her feet and swayed for a moment, smiling as she got them under her.

"Alright then," the human said. "Well you seem to be in good health so I'll just be going."

"Not so fast Gajeel," the cat said. Wait... the _cat_ said?

Levy snatched the small black cat off the ground and held it close to her face. "How did you speak?"

"Uh..."

"Put my cat down," the human - Gajeel - growled, stalking closer. Levy glanced towards him and dropped the cat, waddling forward on shaky legs. She fell against his chest and grabbed his face, pulling it down towards hers. "O-oi. What're you doing?"

"You're eyes... They don't look like human eyes." She peered at his metal studded face and those eyes, crimson with slitted pupils like a cat's... or a dragon's.

Gajeel swatted at her hands and she released his face so he could straighter to his full, towering height.

"What's wrong with ya? First ya wash up on my shore passed out and naked and now you're all... touchy."

"Naked?" Levy glanced down at her body and yelped, with the addition of legs she lost her scales and gained an odd tuft of hair between her legs. "Oh... oh my. Humans frown on this don't they," she said. "Do you happen to have some clothes I can borrow?"

Gajeel held out a piece of black fabric and she pulled it over her head. It fell to her knees -she had knees!- and covered all the important bits. "Thank you," she said, only to realize that he'd offered up his shirt.

She'd seen plenty of chests - most human men didn't wear shirts while visiting the ocean, and merfolk never wore clothes, they had no reason to. The scales covered all the parts that humans deemed inappropriate - but there was something about this man's chest that her cheeks flushing. She dropped her head, her hair falling in front of her face and stared at the ground.

An awkward silence fell over them, broken by the cat.

"How about you come to our house and dry off," he suggested. "We'll get you some real clothes and send you on your way home."

"No!" she shouted, startling them. She flushed and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I mean thank you for the offer, but I can find my own way home." She started walking away only to be tugged in the opposite direction. "Oi!"

"My shirt is _not_ a dress," Gajeel growled and continued to tug her along the beach. She crossed her arms over her chest and planted her feet, but little good that did in the sand.

"You were the one who lent it to me."

"And I'll be taking it back."

She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when he practically threw her through a door. She yelped and hopped a few steps before toppling backwards onto a couch. She stared up at the ceiling in a daze, surprised that her body wasn't protesting at the movements. She had been mauled by a shark a few short minutes - hours? - ago.

She sat up and glared at Gajeel who wasn't even paying attention to her.

"You're awfully rough, you know that?"

"Che."

"You're nothing like the princes in my story," she muttered under her breath. Something whacked her in the face and she scowled, yanking the fabric off her head.

"Wear that. The bathroom's the third door down the hall."

Levy glared at him for a moment longer before getting to her feet and stomping down the hall. And she'd been hoping that maybe she'd finally found her fairy tale, clearly she was wrong. This man was no prince.

x

"Gajeel," Lily started, staring at the door that had just slammed closed. "She's not..."

"Human? Yeah I know." Gajeel dropped to the couch that she had just been occupying and munched on a piece of scrap metal.

"Is she another dragon?"

Gajeel snorted. "She's too weak to be a dragon."

"Then what is she?"

Gajeel shrugged and grabbed another piece of metal. "Doesn't matter. She'll be gone in an hour."

Lily stared at Gajeel and glanced back at the door. Would she?

x

Levy had been a bit hesitant to touch the water. All the mermaid tales said that once a mermaid touched water her legs would revert back into a tail, but she apparently didn't have to worry. After her shower she wrapped one of his surprisingly plush towels around her body and stared at the clothes he'd thrown at her. They were clearly girl's clothes; short shorts and a baggy shirt. She wondered why he had them. She found it hard to believe that someone as rough as him had managed to get a lover, but she supposed anything could be possible. Hopefully his girlfriend wouldn't mind that she had to borrow her clothes.

The shorts were a little loose and the shirt was _definitely_ loose around the chest area. She sighed, glad for the design of the shirt that made it hard to tell that she didn't have much of a chest. The clothes were actually rather flattering on her and she smiled at her reflection. The only thing left was to take care of her hair.

She had to do a bit of digging but she finally found a bandana she could use to tie her hair out of her face. The end result wasn't great, but it was passable.

She left the bathroom and threw the shirt at Gajeel's head. He snarled and glared at her, which she returned with an innocent smile.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your shower and your girlfriend's clothes." His brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth to speak, but she just kept talking. "You can tell her I'll return them as soon as I can." She moved towards the front door, but once again he stopped her by tugging at her shirt.

"First, you're not going anywhere."

"Excuse me?"

"Second I don't have a girlfriend."

"First," Levy said, struggling out of his grip and turning with a scowl. "I'm going where ever I want to. And if you don't have a girlfriend then why do you have girl's clothes?" She put a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. "Oh... is this a hobby of yours? I didn't mean to make assumptions, these clothes just seem to small for you."

His ears turned read and he glared. "They're not mine! I have a friend who sometimes comes here after swimming and she likes to keep a change of clothes lying around."

"Well, now that we've cleared up your relationship status I think I'm going to go."

She turned again and again he stopped her.

"I said you're not going anywhere."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why not?"

"I've got questions."

"Of course you do, but I don't have time to answer them. I have to go exploring." She tried walking but quickly gave up when it became clear she wasn't going anywhere. "Will you let go of me!" she snapped, whirling to smack at his arm. He released her shirt but grabbed her wrist, tugging her to the couch. She struggled, hitting at his shoulders and he pinned her wrists above her head. She tried to kick him in the crotch, but he got his knees between her leaned over her.

"I wasn't gonna use force."

"You say as you pin me to your couch."

"You made me do it."

She sighed and dropped back against the couch, all the fight draining from her. "You're worse than the shark."

"You gonna answer my questions?"

"It seems I have no other choice." He smirked, flashing teeth that looked almost like fangs. Her eyes narrowed at the sight and he leaned back, releasing her arms. She slid out from under him and curled on the couch. "Ask away."

"What are you?"

The question took her by surprise and she blinked at Gajeel. "What?"

Gajeel leaned close again, his nose almost bumping against hers. "What are you?" he repeated slowly.

"Human of course."

He snorted and leaned back, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. "You ain't human."

"Oh? Then what do you think I am." Levy's heart was thudding in her chest, but her voice was surprisingly steady. She'd heard stories of humans who hunted mermaids for their magic. She wasn't sure how Gajeel figured out what she was, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"I'd say fish, but that makes no sense since you've got legs and _look_ human." He studied her and she felt warmth gather in her stomach from his gaze. "Which makes me think mermaid."

"Why not human?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and there was that grin again.

"No human smells as salty as you."

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she sniffed her arm. She smelled a bit like soap, but that was all she could detect, and there was no way _he_ could smell anything on her that she couldn't. Unless...

"You're not human either."

He stared at her and his lips twisted in a smirk. "What makes you say that?"

She knew she was right, she could see it in the way his body had tensed ever so slightly. "Well for one your eyes. I haven't met any humans, but I know for a fact they don't have eyes like that. The talking cat doesn't help." She wondered briefly where the cat had run off to. "And your comment on my scent. There's no way you'd be able to smell anything that I couldn't smell because, you're right, I'm not human and my senses are better than humans, but yours seem to be better than mine." She hadn't realized that she'd practically crawled into her lap as she spoke, studying his face for any hint. "So... what are _you_?"

He stared back at her and their breaths mingled in the space separating them. Up close he smelled like metal and smoke and she found herself wanting the rub the scent all over her. She gave herself a mental shake and focused on staring him down. If he knew what she was then she had the right to know what he was.

Then he grinned and his hand came up to tangle in her hair and he was leaning closer and pulling her back so her neck was exposed. He bumped his nose against it, the metal studs cold against her skin.

"You're right," he growled, looking up at her. "I'm not human." He grinned and there were the fangs again, glittering the dim light of the room. Her heart felt like it'd tried to crawl up her throat and she couldn't help but feel a little... turned on by this man.

"What are you?" she breathed, her curiosity spiking. Lucy had always said her curiosity would be the death of her, maybe her friend was right.

His eyes flashed and he smirked. "I'm a dragon."

His breath puffed against her cheek and his face inches from hers and she licked her lips, noticing how his eyes focused on the movement. She'd never felt like this before, this _need_ to feel his lips against her, his hands on her skin.

She leaned forward to close the distance between them, to taste his lips and see if they were as soft as they looked...

"Gajeel!"

In a flash he was on the opposite side of the couch, his eyes wide and an almost guilty expression on his face.

A woman walked into the room, her hair as blue as Levy's and she stared at the two of them on the couch. Surprise flickered across her face followed quickly by a knowing smirk.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company," she said. "I'll come back later."

"Juvia," Gajeel snapped, stopping her from going. "What did you want?"

"Ah well, I was going to tell you about the festival that was happening in a few hours because I thought you might want to get out of your house." Her eyes flickered to Levy and the smirk was back. "But I see you already have plans."

"Festival?" Levy's eyes lit up and she leaned forward. "I want to go."

"Oh? And you are?"

"I'm Levy." She bounced off the couch. "Will you take me to festival?"

Juvia smiled, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. "I already have a date, but I'm sure Gajeel would love to take you."

"Wha'?"

Levy turned to him with a wide smile. "Will you really?"

"Uhh..."

"That's a yes," Juvia said. "Now come with me. You can't wear those over sized clothes." Juvia dragged her out the door, calling over her shoulder, "I'll have her back in an hour."

"Don't bother!" Gajeel yelled after them and Juvia snickered.

"I think he likes you."

Levy arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything._ I think I might like him too_.

x

Juvia took her to multiple stores until they decided on an outfit that was deemed good enough. Levy found herself having a lot of fun with the woman. It reminded her of her shopping trips with Lucy down in Atlantis, but she tried to not think about her friend too much. Lucy was probably worried sick about her and as much as she wanted to reassure her friend that she was okay, she didn't dare risk going to the ocean. She wasn't sure why she had these legs and she wasn't about to give them up. Especially not now that she had a reason to keep them.

They were in a food court and Levy was sipping something called a shake, thinking about Gajeel and what he'd said.

"Is Gajeel really a dragon?" she asked suddenly, sure that this woman called Juvia would know the truth.

"He told you?" Juvia sounded surprised, but she smiled. "Yes, he's a dragon."

"Hm... I always thought they were big and scaly."

"Not all myths are correct. Mermaids don't drown innocent sailors, do they?"

Levy started and stared warily at Juvia. It was one thing to be called out by a _dragon_, but a human.

"Don't worry. I'm like you."

"What? But- You're-"

Juvia smiled again, the expression distant. "I lived in a small town a few miles away," she said. "One day I saw a boy on the shore and he took my breath away. I asked the local witch to grant me legs and she did, but there was a price. I could never return to the sea or my legs would vanish. That was three years ago."

"You've been living on land?"

She nodded. "I met Gajeel shortly after coming ashore and he knew right away that I wasn't human. He helped me out and taught me about the human world and for that I'm grateful."

"He's really a big teddy bear isn't he?"

Juvia laughed. "He really is."

"So this human boy?"

The blush was back and she pressed her hands to her face. "I finally asked him out to the festival tonight. He said yes."

Levy smiled, happy that this person seemed to be on her way to her happily ever after.

"Why'd you ask for legs?" Juvia suddenly asked.

"I didn't," Levy admitted, staring at the tabletop. "I was attacked by a shark and when I woke up I was on shore and there were legs where my tail used to be."

"Hmm. Well, you're here and that's what matters." Juvia glanced at her watch and winced. "The festival starts soon. You know the way back to Gajeel's?"

"Mm."

"I'll see you around, Levy."

Then she was rushing out the door. Levy sipped at her drink one last time and stood, grabbing her bag.

Why did she have legs?

x

"Hmph, you came back."

"Hi to you too," she said, walking past Gajeel. He was still seated on the couch, but Lily was back and next to him. "Juvia says the festival starts in 20 minutes."

"Are ya really making me take you?"

Levy disappeared into the bathroom and quickly changed out of her borrowed clothes and into the ones purchased by Juvia (using Gajeel's money apparently). "No," she said, stepping out of the bathroom and fixing her new hair band. "I'll gladly go alone, just thought I should offer."

Gajeel snorted and Levy waited for the comeback, but nothing came. She glanced at him to find him staring at her with his mouth open. "What?" she asked, tugging self consciously at the hem of the little orange dress. "Does it look bad?"

"You look great, Levy," Lily said, hopping off the couch. "I'd love to accompany you to the festival."

She smiled down at the cat. "That would be wonderful."

They headed towards the door and Levy paused, glancing back at Gajeel. He hadn't moved from the spot and she frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. If he wanted to sit at home then so be it, it wasn't like she expected anything from him. Hell, she barely knew him. She'd rather have fun anyways, and he didn't seem like someone who was up for fun.

x

The festival was funner than she imagined. There were games and Levy won an orange monkey. Lily didn't talk much, but Levy understood that he was probably pretending to be a normal cat, or maybe he just had nothing to say. For all Levy knew the cats on the surface really did talk and the books had just been lying, they'd certainly lied about dragons.

_No thinking about him._

"Hey little girl," someone said, grabbing her wrist. She flinched and yanked at it, but the man was strong and he smiled at her, his breath smelling of alcohol. "You alone?"

Lily growled and attacked the guy's leg only to be kicked away like a pile of trash.

"Let's have some fun."

"No thank you," Levy said, tugging at her arm. The guy refused to let go though, in fact it felt like he was starting to hold on _tighter_. "Please let go."

"Aw, c'mon. A cutie like you shouldn't be alone."

Suddenly a shadow loomed over her and there was a hand around his wrist. She winced when she heard the cracking of bones and glanced up at Gajeel's glowering face. "She's not," he growled, glaring down at the man.

It only took a few seconds for the stranger to scram and Levy rubbed at her wrist, staring up at Gajeel. "Thanks." Lily walked up to them, rubbing his head and Levy crouched down to give him a hug. "Thank you too."

She straightened up and grabbed Gajeel's hand. "I knew you'd come," she said, grinning up at him.

"I knew you'd need protection, Shorty," he said gruffly and she laughed.

"C'mon." She tugged him down the pathway, waving goodbye to Lily as they went.

"Where are ya taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

They had to climb over some rocks, but then they were there. It was a small stretch of sandy beach that not many people knew about, and Levy's favorite place to visit. She'd always imagined what the sand would feel like between her toes and she kicked her shoes off, laughing at the freedom.

"I swim here all the time. There's some of the best shells laying around." She walked along the beach, pausing just out of reach of the waves. "I always imagined what it would feel like."

She felt Gajeel move up behind her and she turned to face him.

"So... you're a dragon?"

"And you're a mermaid."

"Do you breathe fire?"

He scoffed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders loosely. "Not all dragons are fire dragons. Thank god," he muttered.

"Then what are you?"

"Metal." He removed one of his arms from her shoulder and held it up in the dying sunlight, showing her as metal scales ate his skin. She held his hand between hers, feeling the cool metal melt back into warm skin and she pressed it against her cheek, her eyes fluttering shut.

"I suppose it isn't too bad."

"What?"

She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Having a dragon instead of a prince."

At that moment something broke through the surface a few feet away and they both turned to see a blonde head appear, followed quickly by the rest of a woman. Levy's eyes widened at the sight of Lucy and she stumbled forward a step, breaking out of Gajeel's embrace.

"Lucy?"

Lucy looked up and smiled. "Levy! Oh thank god you're okay." She threw her arms around the smaller woman before pulling back and glaring down at her. "I'm going to kill you! I had to beg Aquarius to give me legs so I could search land because I wast _terrified_ I was going to find your lifeless body lying on one of the shores. What do you think you're doing?" Then she saw Gajeel and her eyes widened. "And who is this?"

"Lucy this is Gajeel," Levy said, stepping away from Lucy. "Gajeel, this is my friend Lucy."

Gajeel nodded at her and Lucy gave him a once over. She looked like she had something to say when they were interrupted again, this time by a form appearing over the rocks.

"I knew I smelled you!" the voice said, and then there was a body barreling into them and both Lucy and Levy fell back into the ocean. The transformation was almost instantaneous as her legs melded together and the blue scales slid down them. Levy frowned when she saw it and turned a scowl on the boy who was grinning at Lucy. "You're the girl who saved me."

"Natsu! What the hell are you doing here?" Gajeel barked, glaring down at the trio in the water.

"Gajeel?" the boy's, Natsu apparently, head snapped up and he stared at the towering man. "You can't have her! I saw her first." Natsu threw his arms around Lucy who was blushing and Levy forgot her annoyance at being transformed into a mermaid for a moment.

Gajeel sighed and Levy held out her hand to him. When he put his in her she yanked and yelped as he got soaked as well. "I figured you should join the fun." He scowled and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and wading a bit deeper before tossing her. She shrieked as she submerged and when she popped up she was laughing.

Levy swam up to him and slid her fingers through his.

"You don't mind the tail?"

"It looks nice."

Levy grinned and tugged on his hand, urging him to lower his head. Their noses brushed and she paused, staring into the endless red of his eyes.

"Ever heard of a fairy tale where the dragon gets the girl?" she asked and he chuckled.

"Yeah," he breathed, his fingers sliding up to tangle in her wet hair. "This one."

Then they were kissing and Levy stopped caring about princes and legs. All she could think about was his lips on hers and the distinctly metallic taste that filled her mouth.

* * *

This coulda been better, so much better. I'm sorry. I wanted to just write a fairy tale like story where the mermaid falls in love with a dragon and then it got chaotic and I just don't feel like editing. The problem with AUs is that I always want to explain everything and then it ends up turning into an original story basically with canon character names... Maybe I'll explore this universe a bit later, after I finish up the week and that zombie story.

Although now I really want to write one where Gajeel is a merman who is part shark, because Gajeel is such a shark.


	6. Cuddling

**A/N:** As of now I'm branching off with the prompts. I don't really want to do the last two prompts given from the ship week and so I'm calling it quits. I tried though. I shoulda called it quits with yesterday AU (or spent more time on it...) but I didn't.

Chances of daily updates from here on out are... slim. I'll keep writing random ficlets when the mood hits and upload them to this "story". _**But**_ if you have a prompt (be it one word or maybe a little plot) you can always suggest it to me in a PM/review and I'll maybe write it.

* * *

Gajeel had worked hard to come off as a big, scary dragon slayer, well... sort of. His permanent glare added with his rather evil laughter did all the real work, but he'd still had to put some effort in. Glowering at anyone who bothered him when he didn't want to be bothered – which was all the time – and brawling with anyone who didn't care – which was mainly Natsu – but all his hard work was going to waste because of one mage.

Said mage was currently curled in his lap with her head resting against his chest and her blue hair that smelled distinctly like citrus teasing his nose. She had her own nose buried in a book and was completely oblivious to the stares from the guild, Gajeel wished he could say the same, but he was painstakingly aware of every pair of eyes on them. And the whispers.

"I told you they were together."

"D'ya think somethings going on?"

"How long until the wedding?"

"I can't believe _Levy_ tamed that beast."

"She's too good for him."

He scowled and picked at the table with one of his nails, trying to tune them all out. What did it matter what they thought? He was Gajeel. A dragon slayer. The _best_ dragon slayer. Their opinions didn't matter.

"Your face will freeze like that," Levy said, drawing Gajeel out of his thoughts. He frowned down at her, but she didn't even look up from her book.

"I've been meaning ta ask. _Why_ are you sitting here?"

She glanced up from her book long enough to flash him a smile and he wished his heart wouldn't skip like that. She could probably hear it with her ear so close to his chest.

"I wanted to read."

He waited for her to elaborate and when she didn't he grumbled, "And you just had to do it on my lap?"

She shrugged and turned the page, clearly not paying close attention to their conversation. "The library is too far away and these seats aren't comfortable at all."

"Why me?"

She flashed another grin up at him and rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Because I knew you'd be the best."

He thought about letting it drop there. She was up to something and if he was smart he wouldn't get roped in, but Gajeel had never claimed to be smart and this girl made him oh so curious.

"The best what?" he finally asked, positive he didn't want the answer.

"The best at cuddling of course."

He sputtered, eyes narrowing in a glare. "I don't cuddle, Shorty."

"Oh? Then what would you call this?"

"I call this you forcing your way into my lap and makin' yourself at home."

She rolled her eyes up at him and sighed. "Then why haven't you forced me off yet?"

Why indeed.

Gajeel could probably come up with a million reasons as to why he hadn't pushed Levy to the ground, but there was only one truth and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her that, not with the whole guild listening.

"You're a girl."

"Yes, I am. Congratulations on your observational skills."

He scowled again, but it wasn't like she was looking at him so it was a pointless expression.

"_I_ _mean_ you're fragile."

She huffed and snapped her book shut, shifting a bit so that she could face Gajeel. The position put her back against the table and her knees on either side of Gajeel's waist and he tried (and failed) to not notice how she fit so perfectly right there. There were a few whistles which he silenced with a glare, but that didn't change the fact that the entire guild seemed to be watching (and listening) to them.

"I'm not fragile," Levy snapped, glaring at him. Or at least trying to glare at him. She looked more like a kitten trying to be a lion, making Gajeel snort.

"Really?"

"Of course I'm not. For one, I'm a mage of Fairy Tail and everyone here is strong some way or another." Gajeel snorted again and Levy smacked his chest. "_And_ if you say I'm fragile that means you're admitting defeat."

That wiped the smirk from his face. "What?"

"_You_ were the one who said he was going to make me big. Are you saying that you failed?"

"Of course not!"

"So that means I'm not fragile?"

"You're-" He snapped his mouth shut and glared at the smug little mage. "You're cunning."

"And you're the best cuddler." As if to prove her point she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and pressed up against his body. He could feel her nose against his neck and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to fight the urge to pick her up and carry her home when her scent enveloped him.

"This ain't cuddling," he ground out and she pulled back far enough to stare up at him.

"Oh? Then what is it?"

He lowered his head, brushing his nose against hers and gently biting the tip of her ear. She yelped and he knew her cheeks must've been flaming in that way he loved.

"Seducing," he purred against her ear, and then he leaned back, flashing his fangs in a grin. She smacked a hand over her ear and sure enough her cheeks were flaming a bright red.

"If you want cuddlin' why don't we go somewhere more..." He glanced around the room at their guildmates watching with rapt attention. "Private?"

He smirked when she quickly slid off his lap only to grab his hand and yank him off the bench. He nearly wound up sprawled on the floor, but he managed to get his feet under him just in time. She strode from the guild, her cheeks turning darker with every catcall and whistle thrown their way. Gajeel felt his smirk grow and sped up to walk beside her.

"You're an awful person, Gajeel Redfox," Levy snapped, glaring up at him. Although there was no anger in it, the heat in her eyes was a different kind.

"Aye, and yet ya still love me for some insane reason."

She huffed, a small smile playing at her lips as her cheeks finally started to lose some of their blush.

"It's all because of the cuddling."

It was his turn to blush, although only his ears turned a darker red. "You promised not to tell anyone about that," he muttered. It wasn't that he was _ashamed_ of their cuddling, there was no way anyone could feel ashamed when they had a woman like Levy in their arms, but he did have a bit of a reputation. Although the more time he spent with Levy the less that reputation seemed to matter to the people around him.

"I didn't tell them anything," she said, smirking. "It's been obvious from the start."

He snorted and she squeezed his hand, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"We still gonna cuddle?"

He grinned again. "_After_ we do some other things."

She laughed then, her lips turning up in a smirk to rival his own. "I can live with that."


	7. Mornings

**A/N:** I've been seeing a lot of angsty GaLe fanart which is wonderful, but it hurts my heart so very much. So I wrote up some quick fluff to counterattack. This was gonna be about a bad hair day, but then I decided it's more like a morning routine for them (plus Gajeel's _awful_ bedhead). The ending sucks... sorry.

* * *

Levy had a lot of bad hair days… in fact almost every day was a bad hair day for her. She'd started wearing the headbands for that very reason.

Although her bad hair days were nothing compared to Gajeel's.

She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling as the iron dragon slayer stumbled into the room. His black mane was sticking up in various places and part of it had flopped forward, covering his face. She was surprised that he could see through the dark locks.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Levy said, earning a growl in response. Levy had learned early on in their relationship that Gajeel was not a morning person. It was rare for him to speak before he got his coffee. One time they'd had an entire conversation where he only grunted. "Your coffee is almost ready."

He plopped into a chair and covered a yawn with his hand. Levy chuckled and turned back to the coffee. After a few minutes the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room and Gajeel had a full mug in his hands. Levy added a bit of cream and sugar to her cup and sat across from the iron dragon, smiling into her drink when he gulped half the cup in one go.

"Better?" she asked, sipping her own drink carefully. It was scalding hot after all.

Gajeel grunted in response and lowered his mug to the table. They fell silent as they drank their coffee, just enjoying each others company. Gajeel finished his first and rose to his feet, stretching his arms above his head and giving Levy a good look at his very bare chest. (She'd also learned early on in their relationship that Gajeel didn't sleep in much more than his undergarments, something she was totally okay with.)

He disappeared from the room and Levy moved to the living area. She curled up in her favorite armchair, a book propped open on her knees and her hands curled around her warm cup. A couple of minutes later Gajeel joined her, fully dressed. He stood in front of her and stared until she looked up from her book.

"Yes?" He was frowning and his hair looked even messier than it had earlier. "You fell asleep without properly drying your hair, didn't you?" His frown deepened and she smiled. She put her mug and book on a nearby table and motioned for him to crouch. Once he was level with her she rose to her knees and ran her hands through his hair, pushing it out of his face so she could see his eyes.

The heat in his eyes cause a flush to creep up her neck and she focused on his hair, trying to push all the naughty thoughts out of her head.

"I could braid it for you," she suggested. The face Gajeel made told her that he definitely didn't want that and she chuckled. "It was just a suggestion."

She ran her fingers through his hair again as she thought about what to do. It was soft between her fingers. She remembered the first time she'd felt his hair, surprised by how silky it was. Gajeel obviously cared for his hair and it made her smile.

"What?" Gajeel grumbled, drawing her from her thoughts. She focused on his face, her smile not leaving her lips.

"I was just thinking about how much you love your hair." Gajeel growled and Levy leaned forward to press a light kiss to his nose. "I have an idea."

She slipped out of the chair and padded into the bedroom, going right to her drawer. She dug around in it until she found what she was looking for, not at all surprised to see Gajeel standing in the doorway when she turned. She motioned for him to sit on the bed and stood in front of him. He watched her as she pushed his hair out of his face again, but this time she slid the piece of cloth around it, tying it back. Once the bandana was in place she leaned back a bit and smiled down at him.

"It'd be a shame to hide those pretty eyes." Gajeel snorted and arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her forward until she was between his legs. He smirked at her and brushed his nose against hers, the metal cool against her skin. "Oh really?" she said, her lips twisting in a smile. "Five minutes ago you didn't even have the energy to speak."

"You're the one who was seducin' me," he murmured, his nose brushing against her neck. She chuckled and her hands gripped his shoulders.

"You're going to mess up your hair again," she breathed. He pulled his head back, his eyes practically glowing as he stared at her.

"So will you."

She grinned and lowered her mouth to his in a kiss that left her breathless and he pull her down as he fell back on the bed. His hands slid up her back and under her hair as his fingers untied her headband, causing her hair to fall in her face. He smirked up at her and she narrowed her eyes, but then he was kissing her again, those big hands running through her hair and massaging her scalp and she stopped caring about everything.

Later when Lily returned from training he chose not to comment on Levy's awful case of "bedhead" and decided to ignore the insanely satisfied smirk on Gajeel's face. Instead he just accepted the glass of kiwi juice that Levy offered him and pretended like he _didn't _know what had happened before he got home. After all, it was just a typical morning.


	8. Hair (High School AU)

**Notes:** I wrote this when I saw Eqqlo's newest fanart on tumblr (in fact I sort of wrote it in the reblog). It was gonna be a drabble and then I kept writing and so this happened. It's sort of a high school AU, not all that great, but I figure I'd upload it to this little collection.

* * *

The first time Levy met Gajeel she'd been frightened, and for a good reason. He was a bully, he tormented Lu-chan and beat Levy and her friends up for no reason other than he was bored. She was sure she'd never be able to forgive him for the scars he left, and when he entered her school she considered it punishment.

She couldn't be in the same room as him without shaking. She still suffered from nightmares of what he'd done. Then Jet and Droy had to be idiots and try to get revenge. They cornered him and she was sure they'd get another beating, but he didn't even lift a hand against them. He let them hit him until he was bruised and bloody and he never once fought back. When they'd finally finished he didn't move at first, just stood there with his arm pressed against his side and blood dripping from his nose. It was then he looked up at Levy, his unusual red eyes looking so _guilty_.

"You gonna hit me too?" he'd growled. When she'd just shook her head he'd grabbed his backpack and limped away.

Her nightmares started to fade after that, but Gajeel didn't fade from her thoughts. In fact he began appearing in her mind more frequently. She thought about how he seemed to avoid her when he could. If she saw him in the hallway she'd blink and he would suddenly be gone, and he always sat in the seat farthest from her in the classroom.

She knew why. She knew that he felt bad for his past, that he didn't want to hurt her again. He probably thought that just seeing him would cause her pain, but for some reason it was him avoiding her that hurt more.

Then one day after school she'd been alone in the library, shelving the returned books. It was a two person job but Lucy had a date and Levy had told her she could handle it alone. Unfortunately because of that she knew she'd be stuck there until way late.

When the door had slid open she didn't even look up from the books, figuring it was just a student coming to return another book.

"Oh." It was quiet, but in the library even the quietest of whispers could be shouts. Her head whipped up and she found herself staring into those red eyes that used to haunt her dreams, now they just haunted her thoughts. Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his feet, his eyes flicking down to the floor. "Natsu said that there was only one person working in the library," he said. "I thought I'd come help…"

She could tell he was about to run so she may have acted rashly. She'd practically thrown the books at him, pushing them into his arms with a large - albeit a bit forced - smile. "Thanks so much. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through all this alone."

Gajeel had just stared at her and she made sure the smile stayed glued on her face. "There's another cart," she said, pointing towards the desk. "I'd be forever grateful if you could do it."

Finally he moved further into the room. He placed the books she'd shoved at him on top of the cart and started going from shelf to shelf. Silence filled the library again and she returned to the task at hand, but she couldn't help peeking at him through the shelves every once in awhile, and a couple of those times he was peeking back.

With his help they managed to finish before five and she stretched her arms over her head, smiling brightly.

"Thanks so much," she said, turning her smile to him. "I would've been stuck here _forever_ if you hadn't shown up."

"No problem," he muttered, already heading to the door, but she wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

She grabbed her bag and hopped after him, having to lengthen her usual stride to keep up with him. "Do you wanna go get an ice cream or something?"

When he just stopped and stared at her she smiled and bounced in place.

"Why?" he finally asked and she shrugged in response.

"It's a bit hot out and an ice cream sounds good. Why does one usually get ice cream?"

He sighed and shook his head. She wondered why he kept his hair so long, and how he kept it so straight. She was a bit envious.

"No. I mean why are you talking to me?"

"Oh." She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled on it. "Because we've never really talked before and I'm curious about you."

He just stared again. He did that a lot. "Don't you hate me?"

"I did," she admitted, walking forward a few steps. She kept her back to him as she talked. "You were the source of my nightmares for awhile. I always dreamt you were a giant dragon with metallic gray scales. You'd eat Jet and Droy before turning to me." She turned to face him, her arms behind her back. "I was the princess you'd lock away in your tower. You never ate me though…" She shrugged. "Then you let them beat you up and you looked so _guilty_ that I just couldn't keep hating you. Yeah what you did was wrong, but everyone makes mistakes."

He blinked at her, shock flashing across his face, and she smiled.

"So ice cream?"

He said yes.

After that they became hesitant friends. People were surprised to see her sitting next to him and talking to him like nothing was wrong, but after awhile it became normal. Jet and Droy were still tense around him, Levy expected them to be, but she knew they'd come around when they got to know him better.

Gajeel was kind. He saved injured kittens and he helped Levy when she was struggling in P.E. He didn't mind when she dragged him into bookstores and he always took her bag when he deemed it _too heavy for a short thing like you to carry_. He helped her dry her hair when they got caught in a sudden rainstorm and even pulled it back with the headband for her.

She hadn't missed the way his fingers trailed over the scar on the back of her neck, or how he refused to look at her. It was then that she vowed she would let her hair grow out until it was no longer visible, not because she was ashamed of it, but because she didn't want to cause him pain. Because she loved him, and when her hair was as long as his she'd tell him that.

x

When Gajeel first met Levy he'd done something stupid, so incredibly stupid. Fairy Tail was an enemy of Phantom Lord, they always lost to them in everything. So Gajeel decided that Fairy Tail needed to lose some of its spirit and he'd attacked three of the students. Levy had been one of them.

Then Phantom Lord had been closed down and Gajeel had nowhere to go. When Makarov had shown up and offered him a place at there school he hadn't been sure what to do. He'd ended up taking the offer because he clearly had a death wish, but Makarov had welcomed him with open arms.

It had been tense in the beginning. A fellow Phantom student had also transferred and she tried to make it easier for him, but she hadn't committed the same crimes he had. She deserved their acceptance, he didn't.

When he'd been cornered by Jet and Droy he'd let them beat him up. He knew it wouldn't be enough, not even killing him would atone for his sins, but maybe it would help. He let them hit and kick him until they were content, and when they were done he looked at Levy and the fear he saw in those wide brown eyes _hurt_ like nothing before. He'd wanted her to hit him. He'd wanted her to take her pain out on him, but she'd done nothing. So he walked away and promised to never go near her again.

A couple of weeks passed like that. If he saw Levy he went in the opposite direction. He just couldn't handle seeing that fear again, he didn't want her to be afraid of him.

Then Natsu told him to go to the library one day after school, that some poor kid was shelving books all alone up there and would probably be stuck until after six. Gajeel hadn't thought anything of it as he opened the door, but when he saw that familiar head of messy blue hair he hadn't be able to keep the surprise from showing.

He'd expected to see that same fear from before in her eyes, but she'd looked at him and _smiled_. It was like an angel and he didn't deserve it. She shoved the books in his arms and told him to get to work and he did. It was like his body was on autopilot. He didn't want to leave her alone with all that work.

He couldn't stop from sneaking peeks at her as they worked, and when their eyes met he couldn't stop the flush from creeping up his face.

The minute they finished he was practically racing for the door. He couldn't be alone with her any longer. If she kept smiling at him like that he'd start to think that maybe it'd be okay to be friends (or more), but she'd followed him, and asked him to ice-cream, and hadn't even batted an eyelash as she admitted to hating him.

He hadn't expected it to hurt so much, to hear her admit to hating him. He deserved the pain, but he wanted her to like him. He wanted her to keep smiling at him.

And she did.

She smiled at him until he agreed and she just kept smiling. She sat next to him in class and at lunch. She dragged him to bookstores. She visited his house and smiled when he told her about Pantherlily, the little scarred kitten he'd rescued from a box.

After awhile he started to think that maybe it'd be okay. Maybe he'd be allowed to love her.

Then one day he saw the scar. He knew the cause of the scar, he recognized the placement. He remembered the knife, he remembered cutting her and _smiling _about it, and he knew he couldn't love her. Not as long as the scar was there.

Then she commented on his hair, about how long and beautiful it was, and he made a decision as he cut it away.

He wouldn't tell her he loved her until the scar was gone and his hair was back. Maybe by then he'd be deserving of her love.


End file.
